Speak the Little Girl's Name
by queenofthelooneybin
Summary: He barely knew her then, but he knows that she's not the same. Now, she's half mad, flitting in and out of sanity and reality.
1. Prologue

Prologue

December 1990

Only two minutes until the bell rang. Though when one had to sit through History of Magic, every minute felt like an hour.

As her watch ticked another three seconds away, Lyssa Morrigan sighed and turned to look out the window. The young Hufflepuff had gotten lucky that day and gotten the last window seat, nearly pushing Sarah McMillan out of the way. Usually looking out the window provided some alleviation from the boredom, as it looked over where Care of Magical Creatures was held. But due to the recent snowfall, the class had been held indoors. The boredom was also due to her best friend being gone. Like several other students, Liza Holiday had been allowed to leave early. Her parents had decided to go to France for the holiday and had only been able to get a flight before the holidays began. Being Muggles, they were unable to use the near instant methods of transportation, so Liza had been allowed to leave early and had left Lyssa listening to Binns drone on and on about something that happened in the Eastern part of the continent years before Dumbledore was born. Not paying attention wouldn't be an issue, as everything they needed to know was in the textbook.

Soon, the snow became dull and Lyssa turned away from the window. She wished that they shared this class with another House besides Ravenclaw, preferably the Gryffindors. The Weasley twins were very good at keeping boredom at bay, though it was usually as someone's expense. The damage was usually confined to them or an inanimate object, though others got caught in the crossfire. Last year, Lyssa had lost an eyebrow during Charms and it had grown back thinner and shorter than it had been before.

The bell finally rang.

Lyssa breathed a sigh of relief and all but ran for the door. Her mind began to clear almost immediately. She joined the mass of students in the corridor, straining her head to see over the seventh years that had just come out of Arithmancy. She made it to the other side of the hall and scrambled to get on top of a bench. It gave her just enough advantage to see the person she was looking for.

"Angelina!"

The dark haired Gryffindor looked up at the sound of her name and smiled when she saw who was calling her. "Hey Lyssa."

"How was Potions?'

"The same. Lee singed a dreadlock and one of the twins made Snape take five points away."

"So the same as always?"

"Yes."

The girls laughed. The year before, Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs had shared both Charms and Potions, so Lyssa knew exactly what went on. The pair began to head for the Great Hall. It served as a social and study area between classes, if you wanted to mix with people from other houses.

"Wait for me!" Alicia Spinnet called from down the hall, waving her arm as she struggled to keep her slipping bag on her shoulder. The pair paused to let her catch up. "That stupid Montague spilled what was left in our cauldron and Snape made me clean it up."

"Did he call you a dunderhead?" Lyssa asked.

"No. He just glared at me and told me to clean it up."

"I always get called a dunderhead when I mess up. That or told I'm mediocre. When he pays attention." Lyssa wrinkled her nose.

"Hufflepuffs get off light compared to us," Angelia stated.

"He does seem to really hate Gryffindors," Lyssa remarked.

"He hates everyone," Alicia snorted. "He just hates his own house a little less."

"A person can't hate everyone," Lyssa said softly as they sat down. She reached into her bag for her copy of 1000 Magical Herbs and Fungi. "Merlin! I think I left my book in the greenhouse."

"You can borrow mine," Alicia offered. Lyssa shook her head and stood up, letting out a long sigh.

"My notes for Herbology and Transfiguration are in there. I need them for the bloody homework." Lyssa puffed a chunk of her hair from her face and put on her cloak. "I'll be back soon."

It was cold outside. Lyssa hugged herself, feeling the wind whip at her ears. Her hat was up in her dorm. She had put it there after lunch, thinking that she wouldn't be going outside again. The fur lined cap had been a gift from her brother, purchased in Romania and sent to her only a week ago. Daniel worked down there, studying dragons. He had sent a letter with the hat, making vague mentions of visiting during the holidays.

The snow crunched under her worn boots and the crystallized flakes glittered in the weak sun. It was a short trek to the greenhouse where lessons had been held and for that, Lyssa was grateful. She hoped that Professor Sprout was still in there, though it wouldn't be the end of the world. After all, she was her head of house and could just give her the book later. Though she would prefer to study with her friends now instead of having to do it on her own at home. In between her father's drunken renditions of both Muggle and Wizarding Christmas songs, and her mother forcing to Lyssa to be taste tester, studying would be difficult.

Lucky for Lyssa, Professor Sprout was still in the greenhouse and had her book on a table right by the door. Nothing had been disturbed, not even her notes. They were still stuck behind the cover, sticking out at random angles. As her head of house was absorbed in grading papers, Lyssa merely thanked her and wished her a happy holiday before heading back into the snow.

"Damn," she muttered when her boot sunk into a deep pocket of snow halfway to the castle. She swore again, this time more strongly when she couldn't get her foot out. A wind kicked up, stinging her ears. "Merlin's balls!"

"You alright?"

Lyssa turned and blushed at the sight of Charlie Weasley standing by her, trying very hard not to look amused.

"I'm stuck," she muttered and attempted to pull her leg out again to prove it.

"Just hold on."

Before she could even blink, Charlie had both hands under her armpits and was hauling her up. "There." he announced.

"Thank you," Lyssa said, her cheeks flushing a light pink.

"No problem," he said and grinned. "See you." he added before heading to the Qudditch pitch.

"Uh-huh."

Lyssa dashed back as fast as she to the castle, her cheeks burning. She didn't really know him very well, as he was five years ahead of her. All she knew was that he was one of many children and that he spent most of his time outside. He probably didn't even know her name, which wasn't offensive. After all, she was a second year and not even in his house. It was understandable.

"Why are you so red?" Alicia asked when Lyssa returned.

"I got stuck in the snow," Lyssa muttered, flipping her book open.

Xxx

Note: I'll be putting the next chapter later today or tomorrow morning, depending if I have to work overtime today or not. I just wanted the reader to see Lyssa before she lost her mind in a non flashback context.

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	2. Introduction to Madness

Chapter One

October 1996

"Are you alright Lyssa?"

"Are the stars alright? We only see them when they're dying. We make LOVE under them. What does that say? I say it's sick. Humans are snuff voyeurs."

Daniel Morrigan sighed and rested his head against the window. The cool glass helped slow his heart. They were almost there, only about another half hour until they reached the station. From there, all they had to do was Apparate to the compound and he could just put her in her room. Keeping her in there wouldn't be an issue, since Lyssa had taken to hiding whenever something upset her, which didn't take much. If someone screamed loudly or if one of the dragons got out of hand, she could curl into a ball and stay that way for hours.

While he loved his sister, Daniel wished he didn't have to take care of her. Mostly because of the circumstances that led to him having to take her in, but a small part of him simply didn't want the responsibilities that came with caring for Lyssa.

In July, their parents, Benjamin and Pauline Morrigan had been killed in a random Death Eater attack. Benjamin had been hit with a Killing Curse presumably after answering the door. Pauline and Lyssa had been taken into separate rooms and tortured. It had to have been for the amusement of their tormentors, since Pauline had been a housewife and Lyssa had jus started her Healer training. Pauline's heart had given out after several hours, and Lyssa had barely survived. Of course, this was all conjecture, since Lyssa had barely been able to form a coherent sentence, much less tell anyone what happened. The only evidence of a Death Eater attack had been the Dark Mark over the house, though the incident had been more disorganized than previous attacks.

But hours of being beaten and hit with various spells had left her with scars all over her body. Being under the Cruciatus Curse for Merlin knows how long had driven her halfway to madness. Daniel was lucky if she was lucid for a couple hours a day. He still wasn't even sure if she knew that their parents were dead. He had told her, and he was sure a Healer had as well, but he didn't know if she had it yet. The night before, she had been in a bad state and had torn apart the room he had rented looking for a cat that the family had once owned. Said cat, Ringo, had died when Lyssa was ten.

The Healer in charge of her case, Seelia Ault, had told him that Lyssa was in a good state compared to where she had been in the summer. If she took her potions daily, over time she would go back to her normal self.

The phrase 'over time' made him sick. His life had already been on hold for three months. His bloody wedding had been postponed indefinitely. Emily, his fiancée, was understanding, but for how long?

But he had to. Lyssa had been declared unfit and his parents had named him as her guardian in case of his parents death, and the law stated that unless the person was married or had named someone else, when one was declared mentally unfit and not a criminal, they went to whoever their parents had decided.

"Three, four, better lock your door."

She was singing now, staring out the window with a blank look on her face, one of her fingers tracing her thigh. To someone else, the motion would look obscene, but she was really tracing one of the scars on her thigh. The one in question was a severe bite mark. Lyssa had been bitten in several places, but that had been the only place where it had been vicious enough to leave a scar. She could spend hours tracing it, with that same blank look on her face, suggesting that she was reliving that day in her mind over and over.

The train stopped a minute later. The slight jolt made Lyssa stiffen, her slumped shoulders straightening in response to a threat that was only in her mind.

"You're going to be fine," Daniel muttered as he led her off the train, holding her hand. Their luggage was already at his cottage, so that was one complication taken care of. Like a child, she led him lead her around the station. He knew better than to let go. She would get lost, and maybe hurt herself or someone else. She usually fought with her hands, as she hadn't used her wand since the attack. It was in her room at Daniel's, ready to be used when she was ready. Healer Ault had told him though that if she didn't use magic on purpose, her stored up energy would cause incidents of accidental magic in times of extreme emotion.

Waiting for them at the entrance was Emily. She wore a Muggle dress and coat, as per Daniel's instructions. She was one of the many Purebloods who didn't 'get' the way Muggles dressed, and Daniel didn't want any attention to be drawn to them. She was the onsite Healer. Before, due to their shared interests, Lyssa and Emily had gotten along. They had been able to have long talks, and Lyssa had been eager for her to join the family. Now, Lyssa wouldn't even look her in the eye, choosing to stare at a point behind them.

"Hello Lyssa," Emily said to the younger woman, who just stared at her. "How is she?" she asked Daniel in a soft voice.

"I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart. I am. I am. I am.*" Lyssa blurted out, her eyes wide. Well, one eye was very wide, while the one that pulled down slightly just looked a bit strange.

"This is good," Daniel muttered and pointed at his sister, who was still staring into space. She was still clutching his hand and Emily was forced to follow behind them.

"We gonna be okay?" Lyssa asked, her voice nearly childlike. It reminded Daniel of the child she had been.

"Yeah," Daniel nodded. "Fine."

Xxx

*Quoted. Originally said by Sylvia Plath

Next up, Charlie's POV. Sorry this was so short. I'll try to get to 2000 words next time.

I hope you review!


	3. Dragon Eggs and Distortion

The box Charlie held was warm, secure in his gloved hands. It had been mailed from South America of all places. Inside was a dragon's egg, the breed Peruvian Vipertooth to be exact. A man had been caught with various eggs all over his house, and since the colony where Charlie worked was working on breeding the Peruvian Vipertooth both with its own kind and others, it would be an excellent addition. The egg had been sent by owl, kept in a box that was charmed to simulate being with the mother. The box wasn't meant for long term use though, and Charlie needed to get it to the preserve as soon as possible. He was alone, having been the only man available to go. It was a weekend, and those days were the closest to a day off as they got.

Charlie worked at a dragon preserve in a deep part of central Romania, on an Unplottable location not far from where the legendary vampire Dracula had lived. His co-workers were known to go on some sort of horror tour on their days off. There were a few other preserves in the area, the closest being a unicorn preserve two miles away, and centaurs were among the magical creatures known to roam the area as well. The area was a larger version of the Hogwarts Forbidden Forest, though the creatures, with a few exceptions, were mostly harmless, only attacking when attacked. It had been Charlie's first choice when he had applied for areas of study. Out of the dozen applicants from Hogwarts, he had been the only one to be selected. The rest had come from Durmstrang, Beauxbatons and one had come from the Salem Institute for Wizards. There were English nationals working at both preserves as well as living in the nearby village, as well people from other European countries, which included France, Italy, Russia, Norway, Germany, Poland, Greece and Norway. There were also people from China, Japan, India, America, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, South Africa and Egypt. Though a great number represented the villagers, there was diversity in the workplace. Charlie had learned a lot from them, his knowledge ran from recipes to games even stories. He had used some of the scarier tales to tease Ginny and Ron his first summer home.

After a year, the preserve had become a second home to Charlie. He still loved England, but it seemed that his life was tied to this place. Whenever he came back, the land seemed to welcome him back. Some people went back to where they had come from, wanting to spread what they had learned around, to either teach or work with animals themselves. Charlie admired that. But he had no plans to leave.

He could see the main building in the distance. The box had been delivered to the post office in the nearby village, which had no official name, though it was known by the name of the oldest building, which was a bar named Tabula Rasa. Charlie spent the occasional Friday or Saturday night there. The preserve where he worked consisted of the research building, the cottages where they lived, several miscellaneous buildings and of course, the area where the dragons were kept. Charlie was the one of the few who lived alone. Most had a sort of roommate, whether it be a friend or a romantic partner. Some even had children.

It was warm for October, and there was a slight breeze that ruffled his hair. The egg seemed to rattle in response to the breeze. Charlie reached the compound in a matter of minutes and left the egg with one of the 'hatchers'. They kept the eggs in a habitat that was basically modified greenhouse. The hatcher in charge, Mallory Hunt, cooed over the egg as if it was a newborn infant. After making sure everything was in order, Charlie left with the box the egg had come in. Whoever had made it had also painted it with swirls of red, gold and black. It would make a nice gift for Ginny.

As he headed for his cottage, Charlie heard two cracks behind him, causing him to jump. He turned to see actually three people behind him. Emily Samson stood by Daniel Morrigan, who was holding onto a second woman, who promptly threw up onto the grass when he let go. A bit got on her skirt and Daniel's shoes.

"Side Along does make people sick," Emily reminded Daniel, who had shot the woman a mild look of disgust as he spelled away the mess. "Oh, hello Charlie."

"Emily. Daniel," Charlie nodded.

"How are you today?" Emily asked.

"Fine."

"Did you get the egg?" Daniel asked.

"Just dropped it off with Mallory." Charlie jerked his head towards the

"I have to go see her about a salve I made," Emily muttered.

During the exchange, the young woman had turned away from them and begun to hum, her arms wrapped around her waist and slightly rocking. "Lyssa say hello."

She turned and Charlie's eyes locked with hers.

Charlie remembered Lyssa Morrigan as she had been when she was a second year. She had been nothing but a quiet girl in the twins' year. Her face had been round, with hazel eyes that were the same shape and he remembered her having shiny dark hair.

The woman in front of him was nothing the way he would have imagined her growing up. Her straggly hair fell to past her shoulders and around a gaunt face. The right side of her face was distorted, the corner of her eye and lip pulled down. Her eyes were eerily large. There were scars on her cheek and he could see raised, twisted ones snaking around her neck from under her sweater. She wore a long skirt and baggy sweater, her hands twisting the fabric. Lyssa was a bit shorter than him, but the way she stood made her seem smaller.

It was then that Charlie remembered that Daniel's parents had been killed in an attack over the summer, and that Lyssa had survived. He had heard no details and had assumed she just hadn't been home. Looking at her told him that he had been very, very wrong.

When Lyssa didn't answer, Emily sheepishly turned to Charlie. "Sorry about her. Lyssa's been a little…troubled since the incident."

"Troubled is a nice way of putting it," Daniel said. He was a good friend of Charlie's, having known him since Charlie had come to Romania. While he seemed like a right bastard at times, he wasn't. Daniel just didn't believe in euphemisms.

"It's a troublesome world. All the people who're in it are troubled with troubles almost every minute. You ought to be thankful, a whole heaping lot, for the places and people you're lucky you're not.*"

Emily and Charlie's heads jerked to look at Lyssa, who had spoken like a child chanting a rhyme. She had stopped moving, her eyes searching his face. Her left eye darted quickly while the right moved lazily. It unnerved him to say the least.

"I look to see. Of course one can lie, the universe is the breathing testimony to that. But I would like to think that I could tell, even without Seer in their blood."

Xxx

Notes:

*quoted. Dr. Seuss

Sigh, didn't reach 2000 like I planned but what can you do? I like to hit 1000 per chapter and I succeeded in that.

Review, no matter what you have to say. After all, the goal of the writer is to get a reaction from the reader.


	4. The Mirror

Thanks to those to alerted and reviewed! You all have no idea how much it means to me.

Review replies:

Cari- Thanks for your kind words. That is my intention. To create something and someone interesting.

Xxx

_Where am I?_

_Romania darling. _

_Oh right._

Lyssa sat on the edge of her bed, staring out the tiny window, her eyes trained on the clouds. The white puffs were shaped like things. She could see a unicorn, a cauldron and what looked a bit like a squid. There hadn't been many windows in…wherever she had been.

Now that she thought about it, Lyssa had no idea where she had been. There were big gaps in her memory between now and June. She had moments of awareness, which brought occasional flashes of memory. The voice in her head sometimes told her what she needed to know. Such as where she was and who she was with. She didn't need help recognizing her brother, and nor had she had any trouble with Emily. While she didn't remember the man from earlier, he was familiar enough for her not be scared.

The fear was constant. The little voice told her that they were still out there. The people that had made her forget. Whenever she was able to remember, she would curl up as small as she could, to try and hide. In her head, she could hear her mum screaming, someone laughing. She could feel her own pain, sharp stings across her head and a terrible ache between her legs. Whenever she traced the scars, they felt like a shock.

*****You taste sweet half -blood.**

**He looked up and licked his lips. She whimpered and tried to get away from his red tinged mouth, but he snapped her back down*****

The Healers she had met with hadn't told her how she got them. When she had asked, they had just stared and bustled away. Her mum hadn't visited in a while. Not since summer. She wondered if she had gone into hiding. There had been pockets of trouble during her final year of school. Her mum was Muggleborn. Though why wasn't she with her? Mum had always promised to take her if she ran.

*****RUN LYSSA RUN!**

**She couldn't move. All she could do was stay in her closet, hands clamped over her ears. *****

Dad was dead. Danny had told her when he had come for the visit. There had been an accident at work. At least that was what she thought. Danny never answered her questions either, about mum or dad. All he had told her was that they were going on a long holiday to Romania and for her to be good.

I am going to be a good girl, Lyssa thought as she lay back on her bed. After all, Danny's face had been twisted with anxiety to much lately. It was the least she could do after all.

*****Be a good girl and we won't hurt you.**

**She nodded and tried to remain still. The bile rose in her throat and dribbled down her chin when fingers ghosted over her skin once again*****

Lyssa hopped off her bed and walked out of the room, stepping over her trunk. The bathroom was down the hall and she needed to wash her hands. She liked to wash her hands. The soap felt good on her dirty hands and hot, hot water made her skin a pretty red. Like cherries, like blood.

The washroom was three doors down. Lyssa began to hum as she ran water over her hands, the soap fading down the drain. She kept it up until her hands began to sting. She was curious about her hands. They were different. A finger on her left hand was missing and the right was scarred up. Lyssa splashed some water on her face and looked up when she reached for a towel.

There was a monster in the glass. Lyssa clapped a hand over her mouth to prevent a scream.

So did the monster. She poked her face. So did the monster. She waved. So did the monster. It slowly dawned on her.

"MY FACE! MY FACE!"

Xxx

It had taken ten minutes to get the Calming Draught down Lyssa's throat. Daniel and Emily had heard her cries from the other side of the house and had run to find her in the bathroom, screaming her head off. She was smashing the mirror and walls, her tiny fists flying.

Daniel had forgotten about mirrors. Lyssa hadn't seen her face since before the incident. The Healers hadn't let her near any reflective surfaces, as she wasn't mentally stable enough to see what she had become. So far, they had been able to avoid this.

The sound of her screams would haunt Daniel for a very long time. He had ended up pinning her down by holding onto her upper half, while Emily grabbed her chin and forced the potion down her throat. Until the potion had taken effect, she had screamed, fear mixing with revulsion and rage. The veins in her neck and face had bulged, and her eyes had bugged as best they could. All she could say was 'MY FACE!' over and over. In her frenzy, Lyssa had cut nearly ripped off Emily's nose and had scratched Daniel's face quite badly. Of course, those had been quickly healed away.

"She's asleep now."

Emily sat next to Daniel on their bed. He nodded and let her put her arms around his waist.

"Maybe we should…send her back."

Daniel's head jerked up rather violently.

"No."

"Danny, she's not ready. Did you see the bathroom? It looked like something exploded in there."

"I am not sending her back to England. They'll find her."

She's all I have left, he added silently. Her and you.

They were really that alone. Their father had been cast out of his family for marrying their mother and their mother's parents had died when Daniel was a small child, long before Lyssa was even born. Daniel took any promises he made very seriously, and he had promised his mother to watch over Lyssa. He could have left her in the permanent ward, sharing a space with Lockhart and the Longbottoms, doomed to have to accept autographs from the former for many years, maybe even the rest of her life.

It hadn't hit him until he had seen her in that state. That everything was really gone.


End file.
